Tuesday October 9, 2012 5:03 pm

AppleCare+ not active for many iPhone 5 pre-order purchasers

It appears that something slipped under the cracks in the hoopla of the iPhone 5 release (see our iPhone 5 review.) As many people do when buying oftentimes unpredictable electronics, I bought additional warranty coverage: Apple's AppleCare+. In my case, it turned out to be AppleCare-, as I realized after purchase that my iPhone 5 didn't have the warranty attached to it, despite my bank account being charged.

A quick search on my support profile page indicated no AppleCare+ coverage, which prompted me to call Apple's 1-800-MY-APPLE for support. At first, an Apple rep informed me that no AppleCare+ was associated with my device. It was only after providing my order number that they acknowledged the situation. They then stated that they were swamped with pre-orders, and the warranty had not kicked in yet and was instructed to give it 3-5 business days.

A week later, nothing had changed. This time, after being put on hold several times and hearing the same general excuses, the call was escalated to a supervisor. It was promised that AppleCare+ would be activated manually on his end. According to the supervisor, it appears to be a glitch affecting some customers who pre-ordered the iPhone 5. However, they were instructed to wait for people to call in for them to manually activate it.

I'm sure this is not an isolated incident, and who knows the countless numbers of buyers who are unaware that their warranty has not been activated despite having paid for it. The saving grace is the order number; only if the customer has the presence of mind to bring it up in the conversation. My advice for those who pre-ordered the iPhone 5 along with AppleCare+ is to go to Apple's My Support Profile page and check the warranty status of your iPhone 5.